Wednesday, October 15, 2008

I am renewing my blogging effort primarily out of fear that my writing style will be irrevocably changed upon completion of my legal writing class. The verbosity that naturally develops as I hide and soften statements, removing responsibility from myself and qualifying arguments to the point of comfort yet non-existence may soon be an artifact of yesteryear. In its place, I shudder to think, one may find direct ideas expressed in approachable language, short sentences and, arguably, excessive certainty.

I hesitate to comment any further on my school experience thus far; I know that my impressions cannot be accurately expressed without the knowledge of days beyond the first weeks of class. More importantly, though, I’d need to first know my grades.A few notes:

The use of “very truly yours” in concluding legal letters struck some as being too familiar. Unless you really are “very truly theirs,” this farewell seems, to those new to this legal letter-writing formality, comparable to signing “xoxo.” Perhaps equally appropriate is including information about the prosecution’s “wetness” in a legal brief. The fact that the student meant to write “witness” is irrelevant, for my purposes.

Jokes, whether about failing the “reasonable person” standard or about any day-to-day activity giving rise to a tort claim, gradually surface. It is rarely a proud moment, but an inevitable one. Older and wise students have fueled this development, introducing us to concepts such as genital torts, in the STD case.